When architect David Larner suffered a serious stroke that paralysed his right side, he simply learnt to paint with his left hand. And the results have gone on display at an exhibition in his home town.

Artful: This portrait by stroke victim Larner features in a new exhibition

The 57-year-old from Usk, mid-Wales, spent almost two months in a coma after he collapsed while sitting at his kitchen table in 2008. But he defied a dire prognosis.

‘Doctors said he would probably die – and if he lived he was going to be eating lunch through a tube and be a bit of a vegetable,’ said Mr Larner’s daughter Sam, 25. ‘But the care he received enabled him to make an awesome recovery.’

Despite no longer being able to speak or work in his chosen profession, his rehabilitation was boosted by attending art classes, Miss Larner said. ‘He wants to make ends meet and wants to be able to buy nice things for my mum with any money he earns. He’s determined to be independent,’ she added.